As a result of their mobility, mobile communication devices are sometimes lost or stolen. As the complexity of mobile devices increases, the amount of sensitive information stored in the mobile device also increases. The result is an increasing need for protection of sensitive information stored in mobile devices.
Currently, some security systems for mobile devices require that a user report that the mobile device has been lost or stolen. Upon notification that the mobile device has been lost or stolen, an administrator can send a command to the mobile device that can lock the mobile device or wipe sensitive information from the mobile device. However, for this method to be effective, the user must report to the administrator that the mobile device has been lost or stolen before any sensitive information has been removed from the mobile device. Moreover, the mobile device must be connected to a network in order to receive the command to lock or wipe the mobile device.
Mobile device security systems such as disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication 2008/0009264 allow for a mobile device to be secured while not connected to a network based on limited predefined events such as a user locking the device, the mobile device not being in the proximity of a holster, powering down the mobile device, closing the mobile device, or the lack of communication with the network.
Other systems, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,373,137 allow a user to define a set of authorized call numbers. This prevents an unauthorized user from making calls to any number that is not authorized.
The problem with these systems is that they do not monitor secure events and non-secure events to provide a robust mechanism to secure a mobile device. As a result, these systems are very limited in their methods of securing a mobile device.